Railway rail



H; F. MERKER.

RAILWAY RMI..

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3, :921.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

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'Application filed May 13,

vide duplex rail, or twin rail, consisting of a pair of simple rail sections adapted to be4 readily rolled, and having theirseveral ele# ments combined with each other tol produce a very strong rail structure.

A 'further obgfect is to produce a rail ot' this kind comprising two interlocking rail sections combined with each otherin such a manner that a load on either section will be effectively distributed to both sections. rail section is thus reinforcedby the other to avoid the strain which wouldotherwise Aresult from transmission of they load to only one section. The heads or the diderent` sections are preferably juxtaposed at the longitudinal center line or" the rail to provi-de a tread surface substantially continuous across the top ot the sectional rail, whereby the load supportedjat the center line of the rail is transmitted 'through the webs ot both rail sections.

Another object is to retain the mating rail sections in firm engagement with each other, and l have shown a rail in which the load tends to force the rail sections into engagement with. each other, at the same tinie- 'orcing the side margins of the rail iianges into iirin engagement with abutments on the tie plate. This avoids looseness at the rail sections and prevents them from rocking or creeping on the ties. Furthermore, the rail sections firmly engaged with each 'at their interlocking- Jraces are better adapted to support the load to which they are subjected..

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement ot parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying vdrawings wherein is shown the preferred embodiment oi the invention. However, it is to be understootL that the invention comprehends changes, variationsand modiiicationsv which 192i. serial ne. 469,335.

come within the scope ot the claims hereunto appended.

Tnhg. l is a top View on a smallscale showa rail embodying the features of this invention. i i

ll 's s. side elevation ofthe rail.

i an `enlarged transverse section. y B respectively designate matinsr sections adapted to be supported on tieL ates o, the latter being inouiited on ties D .secured thereto by means of spikes E.' o torni a continuous rail, the rail sections .fr and B are intcrloclred with each other as will be hereafter described, and each rail section it. is interposed between similar sections while each rail section B lies between similar sections` B. The 'rail sections are staggered, as shown by Fig. l, the meeting' ends ot the rail sections A. .being separated from the meeting ends or' sections B.

Allach rail section it.' is provided with'` a head l, base flange' andla vertical web 3 uniting said head and base flange. Each rail section B is likewise provided with a head e, a base flange 5 anda web Guniting the same'. The .heads l and 4l are located very close to each other at the longitudinal center line of the rail, so as toprovide a i w wheel .receiving surface substantially con- "tinuous accross the top'nof the vsectional rail. ihe top iaces oit the rail sections are preterably inclined downwardly at opposite sides oi .the rcenter line of the rail (Fig. lll) so that a wheel rolling` over the sectional rail will engage the saine on a line about midway between the` side faces oit the lare-e head produced by the head inenibers l arid 4. in ordinary wheel will usually engage both heads l at. the sai Ae time, so the load transmitted troni an ordinary wheel. will be effectively transmitter through thel webs '3 and '6 ol both rail sections. i

rlrhe head l is extended to provide a longitudinal rib 7, and thehead l islextended over and seated upon this rib '7. The base 'if-lange 2 ot eachy rail section A is eX- tended as shown :it 2 in Fig. lll, so as to provide a longitudinal rib, and the lower portion ot each web 6 is provided with a longitudinal rib 8 seated on the base ilange 2. The top face of the rib 7 is inclined, and the bottoni tace ot rib8 is also inclined, as shown by rig. lll', so when the rail sections are 'forced toward each other these inclined faces on the rail section B will be iirinlyengaged with and wedged between the correspending inclines on the rail section A.

yllhe base flanges 2'and 5 are extended outwardly from the webs of the respective rail sections, and the outer margins of these base flanges are seated upon the supporting plates C, said base flanges being otherwise `sepa` rated from the supporting plates, as shown by F ig. Hl. To accomplish this, the bottom faces of the base flanges may be inclined outwardly and downwardly from the inner edges of' the rail sections, and the supporting plate C may have a flat top face on which the outer margins of the base flanges are seated. lhese base flanges are confined be tween abutments 10 and l1 preferably formed integral with the supporting plate C. The outer edge of the base flange 5 is engaged with the inner face of the abutment 1f), while the outer margin of base flange 2 is engaged with the abutment 1l, the latter being in the form of a flange eX- tended over the base Hangs 2 so as to form a groove in which said base flange is seated.

Angle barsl l2 bridge the spaces between the meeting ends of the rail sections, each angle bar being connected to the adjoining ends of two rail sections and engaged with the heads and flanges of the connected rail sections. llig. lll shows that the top face of angle bar 12 engages the bottom ofthe head 1, while the lower edge of said bar 12 is provided with a flange conforming to and seated on the base fiange 2. The angle bars 12 are secured by means of bolts 13 passing through the webs of the rail sections A and B and yprovided with nuts 14. As shown by Figs. ll and lll, each bolt 13 passes through a bar 15 on the web 6 and also through a sheet metal locking member 17 on the outer face of said bar, one edge of said locking member being bent over an edge of the bar, and the other edge of the locking member being bent to engage a nut 14. F rom the foregoing it will be understood that the load is transmitted from a wheel rolling on one or both of the heads l and l (Fig.A Hl) which are located so close to each other that they form a substantially continuous tread surface corresponding to the top of an ordinary single rail. Since the bottom faces of the base flanges 2 and 5 are separated from the top face of the tie plate C, as shown in F ig. lll, the load will force the outer margins of the base flanges into firm engagement with the nonyielding abutments 10 and 11, and this will also tend to force the rail sections into firm engagement with each other` especially at the interlocking faces of the rail sections. The inclined interlocking elements of the sectional rail are thus firmly engaged with each other while the adjacentside faces of the rail sections are otherwise separated from each other to permit firm engagement 'insegne at the inclined faces, and at the same timek the base flanges 2 and 5 are engaged with stationary supporting plate C so as to prevent rocking of the rail.v This firm engagement of thebase flanges with the plate C Aalso tends to prevent creepage of the seclf the wheel rests entirely upon the head 4,

the load will be transmitted from the web 6 to the rib 8 which rests upon the other rail section. In either event, the load will be sustained by the cooperative action of both rail sections, and both of the base flanges 2 and 5 will be forcedinto firm engagement with the abutments 10 and 11 between which they are confined.

l claim:

1. A sectional rail comprising a pair of mating rail sections each having a head at the top, a base flange at the bottom and a web uniting said head and base flange, the botn tom faces of said base flanges being inclined outwardly and downwardly toward the outer margins of the rail sections, a fiat supporting plate on which the outer margins of said base flanges are seated, the in clined bottom faces of said base flanges beingseparated yfrom said fiat supporting plate at points between said outer margins, and abutments on said supporting plate engaging said outer margins of the base flanges to receive the lateral thrusts resulting from a load on said rail sections, one of said rail sections having its head extended over and seated on the head of the other rail section, the rail section having said eX- tended head also having itsvbase flange eX- tended in the form ofy a rib projecting toward the other section, and the last mentioned section having `a longitudinal rib overlapping and seated upon the first mentioned rib, said basel flanges being confined between said abutments so that a downward thrust on either rail section willy result in lateral thrusts at both of said abutments.

2. A sectional rail comprising a pair of mating rail sections each having inclined faces extending from one of its sides, the inclined faces of one of said rail sections being wedged onto the inclined faces of the other section, and the adjacent side faces of said sections being otherwise separated from each other to permit firm contact aty said inclined faces. i

3. A sectional rail comprising a pair of mating rail sections each having a head and a base flange extending from its outer side and inclined faces extending from its inner side, the inclined faces of one of said secv tions being arranged between and wedged onto the inclined faces of the other section, and the inner sides of said sections being otherwise separated from each other to permit iirni contact at said inclined faces.

4f. A sectional rail comprising a pair of mating rail sections each having inclined faces extending from one of its sides, the inclined faces of one of said rail sections being wedged onto the inclined faces of the other section, the adjacent side faces of said sections being otherwise separated from each other to permit firm contact at said inclined faces, each of said rail sections having a base iiange at its outer side, a support on which the outer margins of the base flanges are seated, said base flanges being separated from said support at points between said outer margins, and abutments on said support engaging said outer margins to receive the lateral thrusts resulting from a load on said rail sections.

5. A sectional rail comprising apair of mating rail sections each having a head and oase flange extending from its outer side and inclined faces extending from itsinner side, the inclined faces of one of said sections being arranged between and wedged. onto the inclined faces of the other section, and the'inner sides of sections being otherwise separated from each other to peru :thrust on either of said rail sections.

6. A sectional Vrail comprising a pair of mating rail sections each having a head at the top, abase Hangs at the bottom and a web uniting said head and base ange, the base flanges being extended outwardly from the webs of the respective rail sections, and a support on which the outer margins of said base flanges yare seated, said base flanges being separatedA from said support points between said outer margins, and abutments on said support engaging the outermargins of said base flanges toy receive the lateral thrusts resulting fro-In a load on said rail sections, said base `flanges being confined between said abutments, and the adjacent inner faces of said pair of rail sectionsfbeing provided with interlocking projections arranged one above the other and in direct contact with each other so that a downward thrust on either rail section will nennt r. Mannen.

said abut- 

